Help Gloria & Family Escape Texas Laws
Donation protected
Get these Queers out of Texas!
We've known for a while this time would come. As Texas law has become more hostile toward the LGBTQ community, we've kept a close eye on things to ensure our family's safety. Job changes during the pandemic and subsequent tech layoffs impeded our ability to save up for what we knew was on the horizon: a move away from Texas.
And now, the time is here. Texas has more anti-LGBT and specifically anti-trans legislation proposed than any state in the country. We have to get out of here, soon.
Meet the Queers
Gloria and Hannah met in 2019, and grew closer throughout lockdown and the pandemic. In 2022, we moved in together, blending our families. There is no way to pass our relationship off as anything but visibly queer: two women making a home together. Sy, Gloria's child, recently turned 18, has identified as non-binary and used They/Them pronouns since 2022. While the majority of teachers have been supportive due to school district policy, they have faced clear discomfort from many adults, and outright harrassment from peers. In 2025, Sy will graduate from High School, and plans to attend community college while working part time. Sy would feel more comfortable doing so in a place with legal protections for their identity.
And joining us in the journey north will be Gloria's close friend, Elowyn. She recently experienced a change in her family and housing situations, and is looking to make her move to a safer location with support. As one of Gloria's closest friends, she is just as family as blood– and as a person who has both legally and medically transitioned, we fear she is in danger most of all if we stay in Texas.
We also have two cats, Jadzia and Freya– blissfully unaware of the worsening political landscape in Texas, but financial considerations in the move across the country nonetheless.
Why Leave Texas?
In 2025, Texas Lawmakers have introduced 206 bills to limit the rights of queer individuals. 32 anti-transgender laws were proposed on the first day of pre-filing for 2025. While we will not know until June which of these laws will pass, the state senate and house have made it clear that their legislative agenda is one of fear and violence for queer individuals. Not to mention the actions of the governor and attourney general; in January, Greg Abbot sent a letter to all state agencies directing them to reject "radical sexual orientation and gender identity ideologies" by denying discrimination claims against transgender people and "ensure that agency rules, internal policies, employment practices, and other actions comply with the law and the biological reality that there are only two sexes—male and female." Attorney General Ken Paxton has stated that "State agencies must immediately correct any unlawfully altered driver’s licenses or birth certificates that were changed" to reflect legal gender marker changes, and has repeatedly requested that DPS make lists of those who have changed their records previously.
And beyond the political, our family has experienced an increase in negative statements and behavior about the queer community, an increase of bullying toward our kid in school, and even the vandalism of our home by neighborhood kids. Hannah, in particular, has noticed an increase in micro-aggressions invalidating our family. And we aren't the only people we know who are fleeing the state, which means our community here is shrinking. All of this leads us to one conclusion: we are not safe here anymore.
So Where are you Going?
New Jersey. Particularly and ideally, the Collingswood/Haddon Township area of southern New Jersey. Gloria has a particular fondness for Philadelphia, and New Jersey has some of the best legal protections for LGBTQIA individuals in the country. Nondiscrimination laws that explicitly protect both gender identity and orientation in housing, employment, and schools statewide give us confidence that it is one of the safest places for us to go. Additionally, we have several friends who already live in the area, putting us in position to have community and solidarity from the day we move in. And, as a final safeguard, the northeast being made up of so many smaller states means that if the laws were to change, we would have the flexibility to move to one of several nearby states with remaining protections without making another cross-country move. Currently, living in Texas means that going to a nearby state to escape unsafe laws would be just as unsafe due to similar or potential laws in those states, and the size of Texas means that getting out of the state is a significant move regardless.
Finally, we have scoped out this area of New Jersey for having all of the things we care about the most: a thriving and visible LGBTQIA community, a good scene for music and arts, proximity to both Philadelphia and New York City for day trips, and weather that will be conducive to Gloria's health issues (it is too darn hot in Texas!). Each of the adults in our group has friends in the area, and Gloria's remote job is actually located in Philadelphia, making the office accessible.
So, if you'll help us get there, we're moving to New Jersey!
How Much Do You Need?
We are estimating that it will cost upwards of $18,000 to make this move. We're planning to pare down as many of our personal belongings as possible, but we own many things that cannot be replaced because they are family heirlooms or would not sell for as much as their replacements would cost. For that reason, we're planning on using PODS to move as much stuff as we can, while also giving us a definitive limit on what we bring.
We'll need to transport our three vehicles, and from helping friends make this move last year, we know that takes three days of driving. We'll have two family members helping us make the drive up to New Jersey, and will need to purchase plane tickets to send them home. Three days of driving means three nights in hotel rooms, and three days of every meal being purchased on the road. Even a modest budget for food, gas, and accommodations means the drive itself will cost over $2000.
We're prepared to put everything we have into this move, but needing to come up with so much in such a short period of time is overwhelming– particularly in our situation, as Hannah just started a new job after a long job search.
If we could raise even half of what this move will cost us, we can make it happen.
Here's our budget as we've planned it out based on our friends' experience making this exact move last year:
We've set our goal at $9,000 – only half of what we'll need to come up with by July 1st. If you could help us, we'd be eternally grateful. Texas has been home for Gloria since High School, and for Hannah, Elowyn, and Sy their whole lives. We wouldn't be leaving if this weren't important. We've put a lot of thought and planning into this decision, but the speed at which Texas is making life less safe for queer families, we no longer have the time to wait and save up for it; we have to reach out to our community for help making this happen now.
I'm Broke - How Can I Help?
Please share this in safe places - your discord servers, facebook, and with friends who support our community. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
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Help our family find our new home!
Organizer
Glori B
Organizer
Cedar Park, TX